


Accidental Date

by knittingknerdy



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Blind Date, Coffee Shops, F/M, Meet-Cute, Reader-Insert, Steve Rogers Feels, steve rogers fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-08
Updated: 2016-12-23
Packaged: 2018-09-07 08:48:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8791216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/knittingknerdy/pseuds/knittingknerdy
Summary: Your friends set you up on a blind date.  It goes much better than you expected, or does it?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> https://lillianfromaccounting.tumblr.com/post/154175278781/imagine I saw this imagine over on Tumblr and I just had to write it. But for Steve, because he owns me. It might get another chapter or two. 
> 
> The coffee shop AU's are just my jam right now.

You hated dating.  Hated it.  

 

You had tried various online sites.  Tinder was a spectacular disaster.  You had even tried speed dating at a bar near your apartment a few times with mixed results.  You were getting desperate and had finally allowed your friends to set you up.  

 

If there was anything worse than regular dating, it was blind dating.  

 

But here you were, rushing to your third favorite coffee shop (no sense ruining your favorite hang out with a bad date).  You were a few minutes late and were in the middle of texting your friend to pass along your apologies when you spotted the sign and stuck your phone back in your pocket. 

  
  


You quickly opened the door and slid inside, relishing the warmth as it washed over you.  Your friend had vaguely described the guy; blonde, tall, decently built.  The shop was small and intimate and most people walked by without noticing it.  Which made it easy to pick out your date.  

 

You pulled off your hat and gloves and stuffed them in your coat pockets as you walked over to his table.  The man was bent over his sketch pad, working away at something you couldn’t see.  You shrugged off your coat and slid into the chair across from him.  

 

He looked up in surprise and you made a mental note to name one of your children after your friend.  This man was gorgeous.  Tousled sandy brown hair.  The bluest eyes you had ever seen were framed by eyelashes that you pay a lot of money to emulate.  And when your friend said ‘decently built’, it was the understatement of the century.  

 

You reached your hand across the table and held it out for him to shake.  “Hi!  I’m Y/N!”

 

“Um, hi?  I’m Steve.”  He shook your hand, but was looking at you with confusion.  Or trepidation.  Oh God, what if he didn’t like you.  Or your friend had oversold your looks.  

 

“Oh! Sorry, my hands are cold.  Have you gotten something to drink?  I need something to warm me up.  Can I get you something?  Sorry, I’m rambling.  Blind dates make me nervous.”

 

Steve smiled suddenly.  “Date?  Yeah, I’m not good at them either.  But my friends like to set me up on them.”  He narrowed his eyes a bit.  “Actually, I was about to get up for another coffee.  You get settled.  What do you want?”  

 

“Ok.  Ummm,” you trail off as you stare at the menu board.  “Just a caramel latte is fine.”  

 

Steve stood up and sauntered over to the counter to order.  It was a good thing you were sitting down because you probably would have fallen over.  Every inch of clothing on the man was stretched taut.  Someone could run by and stab your eyes out and you would be content knowing his ass in those jeans was the last thing you had seen.  

 

You attempted to stop drooling and compose yourself by the time he sat back down.  He tucked his sketchbook away and leaned across the table towards you as he passed you your latte.  It made the red long sleeved shirt he was wearing stretch across his biceps even more.  You felt your heart, as well as other parts of your anatomy, do a little flip.  

 

You were surprised at how well the conversation flowed.  You talked like old friends.  Steve was nice and sincere.  You only stopped talking when the barista said they were closing in 15 minutes.  

 

“Steve, I have to say this is the best blind date I’ve ever had.  If I’m being completely honest, best date really.”  

 

“You know, I’d have to agree.”  His smile was sweet and sincere.

 

“Please tell me we can exchange numbers and do this again.”  

 

“Yes.  I would like that a lot.”  

 

“Great!”  You dug your phone out of your pocket, silently marveling that you hadn’t had the urge to look at it once during your date, and unlocked the screen.  Your text message screen was the first thing up with your unsent message sitting in the text box.  But what really made you stop and pause was the messages from your friend.

 

**OMG!  I am so sorry.**

 

**I am going to kick Simon’s ass tomorrow at work**

 

**He isn’t going to be there.  I’m sorry**

 

**I’m the worst**

 

**Do you hate me?  You aren’t responding.**

 

**Please don’t hate me.**

 

You were stood up.  Simon not Steve.  Who the hell was Steve then?  You stared at your screen in shock for a few moments before Steve’s voice broke you out of reading and re-reading the message.  

 

“Are you ok?  Did something happen?”  Steve asked and laid his hand on your arm.  

 

You looked up at him in confusion.  “You weren’t my date.”  

 

“What?”

 

“My date stood me up.”  It took a few more moments for it to sink in.  

 

“Oh,” Steve mumbled as he rubbed at the back of his neck.  “Yeah.”

 

“You knew you weren’t my date?”  

 

“Uh, I may have texted my friend to see if he had set me up on a surprise blind date.  He said no and he tends to brag about doing stuff like that.  So I trust him.  But then no one else showed up.  I didn’t want to, well, blind dates are bad enough without having one stand you up, right?”  

 

“Oh,” you whispered.  “Right, well, this is embarrassing.  Um, I’ll just get out of your hair.  Sorry, I’m really sorry.”  You had just found something worse than a blind date, a pity blind date.  You hurried to gather your coat and stand before the tears started to fall.  Screw this!  Screw dating.  You were going to go straight to the shelter and adopting 30 cats and just be done with all of this.  

 

You were outside before you noticed Steve had chased after you.  

 

“Hey!  No, please.  I didn’t mean it like that.” Steve had grabbed your elbow to keep you from walking away.  You scrubbed a hand over your cheek to wipe away your tears before you turned to him.  “Oh, no.  Please don’t cry.  I told you I was bad at dating.”

 

You shuffled your feet and stared at the lamp post just behind Steve’s head.  

 

“Listen, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.  You just surprised me.  And you are so pretty.  Then we started talking.  If your real date had shown up, I might not have given you up.  I really did mean it when I said this is the best date I’ve been on in a long time.  A very, very long time.  ”  

 

By the time he had finished his speech, you had forgiven him entirely.  You thought it would be best to communicate that clearly and thoroughly.  So you grabbed two handfuls of his jacket and pulled him down for a kiss.

 

You were both smiling like idiots when you finally broke apart.  You were debating going in for another kiss when Steve spoke.  

 

“So can I get your number?  I would like to try to not ruin our second date.”  

 

You smiled and nodded before meeting his lips for another kiss.  

  
  



	2. Accidental Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve disappears and the reader is left picking up the pieces. Will you forgive him when he pops back into your life

Twelve days.

 

Twelve very long, very stupid, very infuriating days since Steve had texted you back.  

 

It seemed like things were going great.  You had texted back and forth for days.  Trying to find a good time for another date was tricky. Steve’s work schedule seemed a bit hectic, but you had managed to have coffee again 14 days ago.  You had exchanged more texts and then nothing.  

 

At first, you convinced yourself something had happened.  Poor Steve was in a “While You Were Sleeping” coma and no one knew to contact you.  Or he had been kidnapped by aliens (this was New York, it could happen) and the Avengers couldn’t save him.  

 

After trolling the obituaries for a few days, and keeping an eye on headlines for alien sightings, you had just ended up mad.  Actually, mad barely covered your mood.  His disappearance had soured everything in your life.  You couldn’t even walk past that coffee shop without wanting to flip it off.  It made you really glad you had chosen your third favorite place.

 

To top it all off, the hospital you worked for was gearing up for a huge fundraising event with the Avengers.  Several themed parties were happening all week on different floors.  Friday would be the huge meet and greet with the Avengers followed by some huge gala to raise money.

 

You had planned to invite Steve.  Ha!

 

Despite the jovial mood around you, it was hard to get into the spirit.  Four days of cake and parties was beginning to wear on you.  Although the kids in pediatrics running around in costumes was always good for a smile.  Until you had to separate three kids dressed as Ironman who all thought they were the only ones who should be dressed as him.

 

You decided to help a coworker set up for the next party.  You were trying to wrangle several cardboard cutouts into behaving.  Being Thursday, they had probably looked a little better on Monday, but you managed to get them all set up.  You took a step back to admire your handiwork.  There was something about the Captain America one that caught your gaze.  

 

Your phone chirping drew your attention away from the decorations.  A text notification popped up and you opened it to see a message from Steve.  Actually, a series of messages.  

 

**I’m so sorry**

 

**I can explain**

 

**Can you meet for coffee?**

 

**I can explain this better in person**

 

Ha!

 

You shoved your phone back in your pocket and went back to work fuming.  You tried to ignore them.  Tried to shove those message into the far recesses of your mind.  But it didn’t work.  Every time you thought about them, you got angry all over again.  Who did he think he was?  

 

Even at home, after a glass of wine and a bath, you were angry.  You didn’t think it was possible to brush one’s teeth angrily, but you can and you did.  There was a moment of weakness at three in the morning when you nearly gave in and responded.  But, you just groaned and rolled over and tried to go back to sleep.  

 

Your alarm had you crawling out of bed, cursing Steve for your horrible sleep.  Normally, you could hit the snooze button a few times, but you had to be there early to help with the meet and greets.  You dressed in a hurry, slipping into your Avengers themed scrubs.  Normally, you didn’t wear much makeup for work, but the bags under your eyes demanded attention.  Especially since you would probably end up in the background of some pictures.  

 

You made it into work and joined the group of volunteers.  Each Avenger had been assigned a floor to start and would rotate through all of them.  As you signed in, they assigned you to Falcon’s team along with two of your coworkers.  Everyone milled around drinking coffee waiting for the Avenger’s to finally arrive.  You had seen them in news reports, but never up close.  Your sister had been bugging you to get Black Widow’s autograph for your niece.  She was obsessed.  Your sister had conveniently volunteered that she was the red head.  

 

A ripple of excitement runs through the crowd, and you see the team walking out onto the stage.  Tony Stark was at the front, followed by two women.  Your sister wasn’t kidding about the red hair.  Two more guys followed, one in purple and black and the other in jeans and a t-shirt.  One of them was probably the Falcon.  You started looking up pictures on your phone so you wouldn’t walk up to the wrong one.  

 

It was what you saw when you finally looked up that made you drop your phone.

 

“Holy Shit!  Steve?!?”

 

You aren’t sure how he heard you over the crowd, but his eyes snapped straight to yours.  You squeaked nervously and dropped to your knees to find your phone.  The co-workers around you were staring in confusion, but you stayed down on the floor for a few second to try and compose yourself.  

 

Steve was an Avenger?  Steve wasn’t just any Avenger, he was Captain America.  Of course that stupid cut out looked familiar.  One of your coworkers asked if you were alright.  You nodded and waved your phone at them like it was some sort of answer.  

 

When you finally stood back up, Steve was whispering to the man next to him.  That was Falcon.  Or Sam.  Probably less weird to call him Sam all day.  Both of them looked back out at you and Sam got a huge smile on his face.  

 

Finally, the director stopped talking and the group was dismissed.  You followed your coworkers over to where Sam was standing.  You hoped to be able to get a few moments to talk to Steve, but he was being dragged off to his group.  All he could do was wave meekly at you as you were both dragged in different directions.  

 

Getting through the first few floors was a bit of a blur.  The director’s long speech had put everyone behind.  It wasn’t until your break after the 3rd floor that you had a moment to breathe.  

 

“So on a scale of one to ten, how mad at him are you?”  Sam had come to stand next to you, while you finished making your cup of coffee.  

 

“Like, 20.”  Sam whistled lowly and you smiled.  “But I’m beginning to think he actually does have a good excuse and he wasn’t just blowing me off.”  

 

“I don’t know if it’s a good excuse.  Steve was so focused on texting you, he forgot to leave his phone on the jet.  It got smashed about three hours into the mission.  So no phone until we got home yesterday.  It’s his own fault.”

 

You couldn’t help but laugh.

 

“He spent the rest of the mission trying to convince Tony to use the computer to find your information and phone number so he could at least say he would be out of contact.  ”  Sam’s expression changed from a wide grin to a smaller smile.  “Steve really was trying.  He’s not the kind of guy to do that.  Even if he wasn’t head over heels for you.”

 

“Thank you, Sam.  He should remember to send you to talk to me first if we have anymore arguments.”  

 

Sam grinned again.  “I’ll let him know.”  

 

The rest of the day flew by much like the morning did.  You did find time to respond to Steve’s messages.  

 

**Hey**

 

**I think in person would be a good idea**

 

**I’ll be at the gala tonight**

 

You put your phone away, not expecting Steve to respond right away.  You were surprised to hear your notification almost immediately.  

 

**Yes.  I’ll find you tonight.**

 

You smiled and felt lighter than you had all week.  While you were staring at your screen, another message popped up.  

  
**Thank you**


	3. Not So Accidental Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steve’s apology to you does not go as planned, but another Avenger steps in to save the day.

You were nervous walking into the gala.  You had planned to go shopping once you had asked Steve to accompany you, but that all went out the window.  You hoped you weren’t too underdressed in your simple black dress.  

 

All of your nerves fell away when you spotted Steve across the room.  Your smile grew as he began to make his way towards you.  A smile which froze when he was waylaid by a group of fans all wanting pictures.  He looked up at you hesitantly and you mimed that you would go grab a drink while you waited.  

 

After the third drink, and who knows how many interruptions at this point, you were beginning to think this was a bad idea.  You were deep into your glass of wine, contemplating just going home and telling Steve to call you later, when you were interrupted.

 

“Hello!”

 

“Hi,” you responded with confusion.  It wasn’t that you didn’t know who the man was.  Everyone knew who Tony Stark was.  No, your confusion was stemming from the fact that he was talking to you.  

 

“Can I get you another drink?”  Tony smiled at you.  You mused that it made him look like he was up to something.  Nothing bad, just the way you imagine a kid would look when locked in a toy store by themselves.  Full of mischief and good/bad ideas.

 

You look at your glass and realize it is empty.  “Yes, please.”

 

Tony nods and gestures to the bartender, who reaches under the bar to bring out a bottle of wine that you’re sure costs more than you make in a month.  Your shock must have shown on your face because Tony winked at you as he hands you the glass.  

 

“I have to properly apologize for being such a prat, don’t I?  I always make sure they have a few bottles of my favorite at these things.  I’m going to sound like such a stuck up ass when I say this, but I can’t drink the stuff they have at these open bars.”  

 

“You’re right.  You did sound like a stuck up ass.”  

 

The laugh that bellows out of Tony makes several people turn and stare.     

 

“I see why Steve likes you.  So much sass.  Oh, speak of the devil.”  

 

Steve was smiling as he made it to you finally.  His look of relief was wiped off of his face when someone tapped him on the shoulder to ask for yet more pictures.  Steve fought hard to keep his face neutral as he turned to answer the person.  

 

Thankfully Tony stepped in.  “How about we give the old man a break for a few minutes?  Those old knees of his, you know.  I can take over for pictures for a bit.”  He put on his best publicity smile.  “I’m sure I have a suit somewhere around here.”  

 

“I’m sorry, sir,” the woman replied.  “But the kids specifically requested Captain America.”  

 

Steve looked at you pleadingly as he was lead away yet again.  

 

“Is your ego ok with that?”  You asked Tony as you finished off your wine.

 

“My ego has taken harder hits and lived to tell the tale.”  

 

“Why aren’t they clamoring for more pictures of Iron Man?”

 

“I’m always at these things.  Steve, on the other hand, rarely attends.  I was wondering what made him decide to do so tonight.  Not anymore.”  Tony winked at you again.  You couldn’t decide if it was infuriating or adorable.  “I don’t think he realized how popular he would be.”

 

Your sigh must have been louder than you intended because Tony snuck an arm around your waist.  “Let’s get you another glass of wine.  And then we’ll see if we can try to enjoy this party.”

 

Surprisingly, you did.  Tony did a great job of keeping you amused and talking with everyone around him.  It was rare you felt like the life of the party, but you did tonight.  He also made it a point to be close enough to Steve that whenever he was left alone, Steve was able to grab a few minutes next to you.  

 

You finally had to beg Tony for a break as the party began to die down.  Your feet were tired from standing in heels all night, and your face and stomach hurt from laughing.  You were staring at the last of your sixth, no seventh, glass of wine when Steve walked up to you.  

 

Steve falls heavily into the seat beside you.  “I meant to apologize to you tonight and all I’ve managed to do is create another situation that I have to apologize for.”  

 

You lay your hand on his arm.  “You don’t have to apologize for tonight.  I can’t very well get mad at you for getting your picture taken with sick kids, can I?”

 

Steve looks at you with a small smile.  “I guess not.”

 

“I mean, there was the point where you said you were going to grab us drinks and then didn’t come back for an hour.  And you came back without the drinks,” you trail off with a smile.  “Not that I was mad.”  You nudged him lightly, trying to get him to laugh.  

 

He runs both hands through his hair, irreparably tousling his well styled hair.  “This was a mess.  I’m a mess!”  

 

“Are you hungry?  I’m starving.  There is a pizza place around the corner that should still be open.  If you want to apologize, you can do it by buying me pizza.”  You stand up and hold your hand out to him.  

 

“Yes, please,” Steve responds and takes your hand.  

 

\--

 

It doesn’t take long before you’re both settled into a booth with a large slice of pizza.  You were sure the two of you were quite the sight.  Both in formal attire and shoving pizza into your faces.  The only conversation exchanged was groans of delight and satisfied chewing noises.  

 

“That was perfect,” you sigh as you lean back in your seat.  

 

“So I’m forgiven for disappearing and practically standing you up tonight?”  Steve asked with a set of very impressive puppy dog eyes.  

 

“Completely,” you replied. “Although-” you leaned forward to whisper “-I have to confess I had already forgiven you.  Sam did a very good job of pleading your case.  And Tony was a delight tonight.  I barely missed you.”  

 

Steve faked a shocked expression.  “You mean this was all a ruse to get pizza?”  The both of you laughed as you nod.  “I think I owe Sam a case of beer.  I might even forgive Tony.”  

 

“Was he really that awful?”  

 

“In his defense, he was just teasing for the first few days.  I don’t think anyone expected us to be gone that long. We had to go radio silent, so even if he had your information, he couldn’t get it to me.  He had a new phone programmed with your number waiting for me when I got off the jet.”    

 

You were both quiet for a few moments.  You weren’t sure where to go from here. Sure, you knew what you wanted, but it seemed like life was conspiring to push the two of you apart.  While you hated to rely too heavily on all of that fate and destiny nonsense, it was hard to ignore. 

 

“I’m sorry.  If I hadn’t been so cagey about telling you who I really am, this would have gone a lot better.  First, about not being your date and then about being Captain America.  It’s just hard to explain.”   

 

You reach across the table and grab Steve’s hand.  “I get it, I mean, I think I do.  You just want someone to get to know you without expectations of who they think you are.  That’s all anyone really wants.  Most of the world gets that chance.  It’s only fair that you do too.”

 

Steve looks up at you with what looks like wonder in his eyes.  “Uh, yeah, that’s, yeah.” 

 

“I’m really, truly glad I got to know Steve Rogers first.  Before all of this-”  You wave your hand “-crazy happened.  I probably would have ran for the hills.”  

 

“Yeah?  So you’re saying you’re going to stick around?  Move on from all this?”  

 

“Stick around, yes.  Forget about all this, oh no.” You laugh at the look of panic on Steve’s face. “I plan on using this for blackmail for years.  Our grandkids will know this story.”  

 

And now it’s your turn to panic as Steve smiles slyly.  

 

“Oh, I didn’t-”

 

“Years?  Grandkids?”  Steve slowly raises an eyebrow as his smile gets bigger.  

 

“That was supposed to be an internal thought.  Stop smiling at me like that.”  

 

“Make me.”  

 

You lean across the table to grab Steve’s tie to pull him in for a lengthy, heated kiss.  With the table digging into you painfully, you separate from Steve.  You note that he’s still smiling, but you’re pretty sure you are too.  

 

“Come on, let’s get you home.”  As you slide your hand into his so he can help you from your seat, you think to yourself that it already feels like you are.  


End file.
